Most articles about eliminating student debt are written for people that aren’t students anymore. We often approach crushing student debt once school is already done. I see a major flaw in this. I was able to finish school without any debt. I’m no nobody special and I didn’t do anything extraordinary to get there. I partied on the weekends like everyone else and I consumed my fair share of caffeine.

However, I can proudly say that I walked on stage with no student debt to worry about. I’ve been able to travel and do whatever I want now that I have no loans to worry about. I’ve been blogging and working a part-time job because I feel no stress.

How can you kill your student debt in school?

Focus when everyone else is out.

I know that college is supposed to be a large party. Don’t get me wrong, I had my share of fun. The thing is that you need to pick the activities you participate in. A Friday night out is fun– when all of your work is done. A random Monday afternoon party can throw you off gear and screw up your priorities.

My trick has always been to focus when nobody else is. I’ve spent many weekends doing homework and blog work. In return, I could save money and get better grades. The result of this was more trips after college. It’s all about focus my friends.

Take advantage of paid internships.

Internships are by far the best way to get experience in your field and make some money at the same. How can you go wrong?

Unfortunately for me, the internships in my program flat out sucked. However, I saw many of my friends thrive through paid internships. My one friend was able to do one term in class, the next term working, for his final two years. It took him longer to graduate, but he graduated without any debt. He also built some serious connections in the field.

Work in the summer.

How do you plan on spending your summers in college? I partied and worked like an animal. I literally worked all of the time. I also went out all of the time. How’s this possible? When you’re 19 years old you should be on top of the world. I’m not here to feel sorry for you. If your young and healthy, you should be full of energy. Why not work during the summer instead of lounging around?

Work while in school.

I always worked while in school. Everyone hates this one. We all say that we’re too busy to work in school. You know, we study all day and then build houses in Africa on the weekends. Any student that says they have no time is a liar or horrible at time management (aside from law or medical students).

Most degree programs will at the very least allow you to work on the weekends. Working a few hours on the weekend will add up. Even if you only make a few hundred dollars per week, you’ll still have money coming in. Money coming in beats money going out constantly.

Maintain a realistic lifestyle.

Always remember that you’re still a college student. This means that bottle service and brand name clothing isn’t your friend. You need to be realistic with how you live if you want to get out of college without any debt. The beauty of being realistic with your finances in college is that most students are also poor. You won’t be the only one. There’s no need to pretend to be the campus baller if your pockets feel lonely.

As you can see it makes much more sense to start dealing with your student loans as a student. There’s no point in waiting. Why wait until you’re done with college? Are you going to graduate from college without any debt?